Queenstown - The Adventure Capital of New Zealand

In my honest opinion, there are very few cities in New Zealand that are as beautiful as Queenstown. I fell so in love with this little corner of the earth, that I went for initially 2 weeks at Christmas and stayed for 6 weeks until I eventually had to go back to work. Sitting on the edge of Lake Wakatipu, it is surrounded by incredible mountain ranges known as the Remarkable's. Queenstown is small enough to get around easily but has enough daytime and after dark activities to occupy you for months. 

 

The combination of the striking blue lake and the spectacular mountain range of the Remarkables, this place left me in awe of the beauty that NZ has to offer. Queenstown is an extremely busy place with an outstanding variety in culture, packed with people from all over the world, either living and working or just passing by on holiday. Here you will find many cafes and restaurants, and in the evenings, you can party in the bars until the wee hours. Queenstown offers some of the best adrenaline rushing activities in the world and more or less whatever extreme sport you could wish for, from paragliding to skydiving to the world-famous bungee jumping. 

 

Best things to do in Queenstown 

Nevis Bungee

Feeling brave? The Nevis Bungee is a bungee jumping platform in the Southern Alps just outside Queenstown. It is the highest bungee jumping platform in the world at a whopping 134m. It is suspended by high tension cords that are fixed to either side of the Nevis River Valley with the platform stuck in the middle. Just to make you feel even more nervous before you jump, the glass floor beneath you allows you to spectate other jumpers (who may initially be regretting their decision). However, if you’re able to open your eyes mid-jump, the surrounding views are indescribable. This is hands down Queenstown unmissable tourist attraction! 

Shotover Jet Boat Ride

The Shotover Jet Boat Ride is a unique combination of beauty and power and is an experience like no other! Bringing together the beautiful natural landscapes whilst powering wall to wall through the canyon on the high-performance speedboats. The narrow canyon walls tower over you as the jet boats paces through them, riding the rapids and performing gravity defying stunts, all within touching distance of the cliff faces. Never let go, as there is an unexpected 360-degree turn coming up at any time! 

NZone Skydiving

Still feeling brave? Arguably the most scenic skydiving experience on earth, you will receive another adrenaline rush as you jump out of the plane at 200kph. This is an opportunity to conquer and embrace your fears, freefall from up to 15000ft, and parachute to the ground. This will see you descending towards the stunning scenery of Queenstown, home to some of the most unbelievable scenery the world has to offer. 

Skiing (in winter)

Not that I ever got the chance to this as I was there is the peak of summer, but if you are lucky enough to be in Queenstown in winter, you have to hit up the slopes! They have four ski areas including the ‘Remarkables’. Between these four areas, they offer opportunities to all levels of skiers. If you get the chance, you’re luckier than me!

 

Queenstown Gardens

As many backpackers may be struggling financially, this is a free day out worth doing! The Queenstown Gardens, located right in the town of Queenstown, is a botanical garden which contains a variety of wildlife and nature, as well as a range of facilities including ice-skating, disk golf, tennis and biking tracks, There is also a variety of trails through the gardens with views of the surrounding mountains, of Lake Wakatipu, as well as Queenstown itself. 

Milford Sounds

If you fancy getting out of Queenstown for a day, you could take the 3-hour drive to Milford Sounds. Once described by Rudyard Kipling as the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World,’ Milford Sounds was carved by glaciers during the ice ages. Breath taking in any weather, the cliffs rise high from the dark waters as the mountain peaks scrape the sky and waterfalls smash downwards from as high as 1000 metres. Whilst in Milford Sounds, you have the option of taking a boat cruise, kayaking, or hiking the Milford Trek. 

 

Nightlife 

Apart from being the adventure capital, Queenstown has a reputation for being party central (hence why I stayed for longer than planned). Packed with bars and nightclubs, with nightly bar crawls, ice bar experiences, themed nights and alternative music scenes, you will without doubt find something for you amongst the Queenstown nightlife.

 

Weather 

If you’re visiting Queenstown in the summer, you’ll experience wonderful weather with long sunny days reaching maximum temperatures of up to 30degrees but cooling quite quickly at night. At peak summer, sunset can be as late 10pm meaning you will have plenty of time during the day to build up a tan! 

Although I wasn’t there in winter, it is meant to be as equally appealing and becomes a bit of a winter wonderland. With plenty of snow to fill the slopes, temperatures can range from as warm as 15degrees on a clear sunny day to as low a 2degrees at night time. Just remember, their winter is our summer (if you could call it summer here). 

 

A Place Not to be Missed

If you happen to have made it this far again, I would highly recommend adding Queenstown to your bucket list. Queenstown offers things to do for everyone, no matter what you’re in to. If you’re lucky enough to experience Queenstown in both summer and winter, then you’re luckier than me! Winter in Queenstown is already on my to do list, but be sure to fill me in!